If you cast your ballot on Election Day, there’s a strong chance are you did it in a school or other public building. Schools and churches in the Mountain State are the most common locations for setting up polling places. And it’s been that way for a long time.

If you cast your ballot on Election Day, there’s a strong chance are you did it in a school or other public building. Schools and churches in the Mountain State are the most common locations for setting up polling places. And it’s been that way for a long time.

West Virginia voters will pick from among three candidates — Republican J.B. McCuskey, Democrat Mary Ann Claytor and Libertarian Brenton Ricketts — when they cast their ballots for the office of state auditor Nov. 8.

West Virginia voters will pick from among three candidates — Republican J.B. McCuskey, Democrat Mary Ann Claytor and Libertarian Brenton Ricketts — when they cast their ballots for the office of state auditor Nov. 8.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is responsible for monitoring and regulating meat and poultry production in the state, monitoring and protecting crops and aspects of the state’s food supply, training farmers, promoting agriculture and coming up with new agricultural programs for the state.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture is responsible for monitoring and regulating meat and poultry production in the state, monitoring and protecting crops and aspects of the state’s food supply, training farmers, promoting agriculture and coming up with new agricultural programs for the state.

The high school graduation rate in West Virginia continues to increase and is close to 90 percent, according to data released Oct. 25 by State Superintendent of Schools Michael Martirano.

The high school graduation rate in West Virginia continues to increase and is close to 90 percent, according to data released Oct. 25 by State Superintendent of Schools Michael Martirano.

Sen. Jay
Rockefeller, D-W.Va., placed a statement in the Congressional Record and wrote
a letter to President Obama asking for a presidential commendation for World
War II veteran Frederick Mayer, a resident of Charles Town.

As an
Office of Strategic Services, or OSS, operative, Mayer posed as a German
officer behind enemy lines in Austria. Despite being captured and tortured by
the Gestapo, Mayer helped negotiate the surrender of Innsbruck in 1945,
avoiding a final battle there.

In the
letter to the president, Rockefeller called Mayer "one of the unsung heroes of
World War II."

"His
selfless patriotism and unique service to the United States merit the highest
recognition, and I hope your staff will give him all due consideration for an
award of presidential commendation," Rockefeller wrote.

Mayer, now
92, was born to a Jewish family in Germany and fled to the U.S. after the Nazis
came to power. He enlisted in the Army after the attack on Pearl Harbor and was
recruited to join the OSS — the forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency —
based on his bravery, skills and knowledge of the German language. His
assignment was to pose as a German officer in Austria and collect military
intelligence and help organize elements of the Austrian
resistance.

He was
captured by the Gestapo, the German secret police, yet refused to give up
sensitive information despite being brutally tortured. Instead, using his
German language skills, he convinced his captors to arrange a meeting with
senior Nazi leaders in Austria. As Allied forces advanced into the heart of
Europe, Mayer convinced the Nazis to surrender Innsbruck, a key post in
Austria.

"His
bravery, remarkable in any context, is even more noteworthy given his
willingness to return to enemy territory, not far from his childhood home he
was forced to flee," Rockefeller wrote. "He did this to help win the war, and
he did this in service to the United States … I hope your office will be able
to honor Mr. Mayer in a special way."

Rockefeller's full letter to Obama is available on his
Senate website.